Thursday, July 25, 2013

STEPHANIE THORNTON- Guest Post + Amazing GIVEAWAYS!!!

Stay tuned for my review that will be out in print and e-version at theHISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETYin August- and on my blog as well:)

MEANWHILE...

As part of

Today, I am pleased to share with you this amazing Interview with Author Stephanie Thornton!

1- Stephanie
you wrote an amazing novel based in Byzantium! Can you tell us about a few of
the most fascinating things you discovered about this time and place, while
researching?

I’m so glad that you enjoyed the novel, and am thrilled to be here
discussing it today! When I first set out to write Theodora’s story, I assumed
6th century Constantinople was like much of the ancient world, where
women were dominated by men and mostly forgotten by history. Although I’m sure
Procopius is rolling in his grave to hear it, when I first read his damning history
of Theodora’s rule as empress I was almost squealing with glee. Not only was Theodora
an incredibly strong woman who ruled equally with her husband, but her lifelong
friend Antonina had also risen from the gutters to marry Belisarius, the
empire’s rising star of a general. Procopius slanders both women terribly, but
between the lines you can see that these women were determined not to let
anyone—man or woman—dictate how they lived. (Unfortunately for Belisarius, that
meant his wife would go on to publicly cuckold him with her godson.) In a
strange twist, Procopius’ vitriolic accounts ensured that we would forever
remember both Theodora and Antonina, whose colorful lives would have otherwise
gone mostly unrecorded.

That said, we also have to remember that Theodora and Antonina’s stories
were uncommon for the time. I spent much of my time researching the lives of
prostitutes in the Byzantine Empire, and the hardships they had to endure.
There’s a line in my novel about how unwanted children could be disposed of in
the drains of the public baths, which came from an archaeological article I
read where a number of infant skeletons had been discovered in one such drain.
Life in the ancient world was hard, and for a single woman, it was almost
impossible.

2- Theodora has become my new favourite
icon- What attracted you most to writing about her?

Let me just say that I love Theodora. I see her as one of those
polarizing kind of personalities—either you loved her (as Justinian did) or you
loathed her (like Procopius). Looking back at her position in history, it’s
hard not to love her. This woman was the daughter of a bear trainer (really,
truly) who became an actress/prostitute to support herself and her family. Her
story might have ended then and there, but something about her attracted not
just one, but two of the empire’s most powerful men. Not only that, but she
survived one of the world’s worst outbreaks of bubonic plague! (For the record,
I love bubonic plague. Writing about it, not having it, of course.) Procopius
also recorded that while Theodora couldn’t dance or play music, she was a great
mime, which was a sort of stand-up comic of the day. I don’t know any writer
who could resist writing so colorful a character. 3- If you could compare Theodora to
a woman of today's times, who would that be and why?

That’s a toss-up between Eleanor Roosevelt and Margaret Thatcher.
However, since Eleanor was born to privilege and Margaret’s dad owned grocery
stores, I’ll go with Thatcher. (Fortunately, Margaret Thatcher never had to face
an outbreak of bubonic plague.) Both Theodora and Margaret Thatcher fell into
politics (Theodora because she caught Justinian’s eye and had traveled across
the empire, which he had not; Thatcher was drawn into politics while studying
chemistry at Oxford), and became polarizing figures while they were in power.
Thatcher alienated workers and unions with her economic policies and Theodora was
a staunch supporter of the Blues (a political faction of Constantinople), which
angered the Greens. Finally, both faced uprisings and revolts; for Theodora,
the famous Nika revolt left 30,000 dead and city in ruins. Thatcher faced
discontent in her Conservative party that resulted in her own electoral defeat.
Both were tough, determined women who did what they thought was right.
4- We would love to know about any future projects you may have- will
there perhaps be a sequel to The Secret History?

I contemplated writing a sequel focusing on Justinian’s heir, Justin II,
and his wife and Theodora’s niece, Sophia, but their story is painfully
depressing. Justin II started a war with Persia and lost much of the
landholdings in Italy that Justinian conquered. Then he went insane, biting his
attendants from his chair and insisting that constant organ music be played in
the palace at all times, finally necessitating his abdication from the throne.
I like drama in my books, but that’s a lot of tragedy!

Instead, my next novel, Daughter of the Gods, is the story of
Hatshepsut, Egypt’s first successful female pharaoh, and I’m currently writing The
Tiger Queens, a novel of Genghis’ Khans wife and daughters. After that, I’ll be
heading back to Rome, although Book #4 will be set in the ancient western Empire
instead of Byzantium.
5- Lastly- this one is for all aspiring authors: Please share a motto,
ritual, or habit of yours, that helps you with your writing.

Okay, I’m totally going to steal a quote from Winston Churchill here: “Never,
never, never give up.” I know it’s simplistic, but no matter which authors you
talk to, there have been times when they wanted to quit. I was told to shelve
the first novel I wrote because no one would ever publish a book about some
obscure Egyptian female pharaoh. Instead, I set it aside, wrote The Secret
History, and now Daughter of the Gods will be coming out next summer. So, have
patience, and never, ever give up on your dreams!

Thanks
so much for your time- and for writing this terrific book that I can't stop
raving about!

And now it's...

SUPER GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

To Enter to Win a Copy of this book PLUS ONE Byzantine Coin:

1- You must be a Follower of this
blog

2- For Additional Chances,
post on FB, Twitter, Linkedin, Blog and elsewhere! Just come back and post your
link in comments.

I have always been interested in Theodora AND the Byzantine Empire. Although I had World History in college, that topic was rushed over. I like historical fiction since although we may know the facts, HR conjecture as to why.